There is a lot of conversation in the education community right now about the power of teacher leadership. And I am one of those voices. I firmly believe that we have to harness the energy and knowledge that teachers bring to the table and make strategic plans to channel this power. We know that the work of improving student learning is challenging enough; we should all be working together as we move forward. Teacher leadership may be the key to our success in improving student learning for many reasons. Reiche School, in Portland, Maine, demonstrates that teachers CAN run the school!

While many support the “idea” of teacher leadership, we are just beginning to see schools and districts rethink governance structures as part of the reform process. At Reiche School, teachers are in charge-completely! There is no principal or assistant principal. They have three lead teachers that oversee the building, but the reality is that by shifting to this model EVERYONE has a voice in the progress of the school and ALL share leadership within this structure. While this is not the only model for teacher leadership, it is important to shine a light on this unique community. This school is the only public school in the country that has transitioned from a traditional leadership structure to a teacher-led model.

Through my work in our local association, I knew that Reiche was transitioning to a teacher-led model. I had heard snippets along the way about their change process. But I had never formally met the teachers serving in these leadership roles and really didn’t understand specifics regarding the shift from a traditional public school with a principal/assistant principal structure to the new model of lead teachers. Chris Keegan, Kevin Brewster and Lorraine Bobinsky, Reiche’s current lead teachers, graciously met me this past Thursday morning to reflect on the model of teacher-leadership followed at Reiche in the hopes that I can “spread the word” about this exciting transformation.

During my visit, one theme that emerged was the power of the process they used to make this major change. They truly involved all of the stakeholders in a meaningful way. From the start, Reiche sent different teams of teachers to visit other schools in the country that were using some form of a teacher-led structure. The professionals came back to Reiche and shared the research gathered with the entire staff. Meetings about the change included teachers, ed techs, secretaries, parents, and custodians. Votes were held at critical points in the process, including early on, when they voted to continue pursuing this organizational model. As a community, the staff worked with facilitators to capture their values and beliefs and ensure the governance structure they were developing matched these beliefs. They reached out for resources from the NEA and the MEA when they found the work challenging. The district, the union, the staff, and the parents all worked through this process TOGETHER.

What has a well-researched, inclusive process brought to Reiche Elementary School? A school full of leaders. The three lead teachers are officially “in charge” , but the truth is that ALL share responsibility. Every staff member serves on one major committee. The committees focus on the following: enrichment, climate, instruction, and professional development. The chairs of these committees serve on the leadership team with the lead teachers, the building union representatives, a district representative and the PTO chairs. All of the committees are responsible for providing professional development when appropriate. Staff members feel valued and have a voice. When new teachers are hired, they understand that part of their work is to serve on one of the four committees. As teachers bring issues to meetings, it is more often than not followed by a solution. This is a community that “owns” the work of this school and the learning for each student-every day.

So what are the downsides? What are the challenges? What other lessons can we learn from Reiche’s journey thus far? Like any other change, this has been HARD WORK-for EVERYONE!! The transition year from principal to a lead teacher structure was rugged. Parents were uneasy. As with any change, there were times of discomfort and new challenges. But by stepping forward as one, this school community has instituted a major reform. And they are now led by professionals who have their feet firmly planted in two worlds-classroom instruction and leadership. They “walk the walk” each day. This June, Reiche will finish its third year with this governance model. As with any school, they monitor data about their school including test scores, staff attrition and absenteeism, student attendance, parent involvement and parent feedback collected through a bi-yearly survey. Their next step is to begin rotating the lead teacher roles with an eye on keeping a balance of experienced and novice leaders in these lead teacher positions and committee chairs, so that others can bring their skills and knowledge to the forefront. When talking about teacher leadership and school reform, those of us in Portland, Maine, need only look in our own backyard for a successful example of a major paradigm shift. Providing teacher leadership in a school keeps strong teachers delivering direct instruction to students and can fill a desire for additional challenges in their professional lives. Let’s hope others from across the state and country take a close look at this school and learn from the entire staff of Reiche, a school where teacher leadership matters. Yes, teachers can run the school! Spread the word.

For me, one of the most memorable speeches at the National State Teachers of the Year Conference was from Mary Beth Blegen, the National Teacher of the Year in 1996. She reminded us of the importance of adult culture in a school and challenged us to make a difference. According to Roland Barth, “The nature of relationships among the adults within a school has a greater influence on the character and quality of that school and on student accomplishment than anything else.” It was a moment when I realized how much intentional work my administrators had put into building a supportive adult culture at King Middle School, and how critical that work has been in the success of our students.

When I arrived at King, the culture in the building was anything but positive. As a matter of fact, one of my first interactions I had with the staff was when someone came up to me and asked me to sign a petition questioning the principal’s proposal to spend money on improving the teacher’s room. Seriously? That was a big problem? I was personally afraid to walk down the eighth grade hallway during my first year at King. I had a room full of students struggling with reading. As I walked around the school, there were often some teachers clustered by a doorway chatting quietly, with unhappy looks on their face. There was more to change than the teacher’s room. We were a school struggling with adult culture. During the following three or four years, the tension grew. Our principal was implementing a school reform model, called Expeditionary Learning, and not everyone was on board. There were meetings with angry parents and concerned teachers; the beginning stages of the change were challenging and uncomfortable. But behind the scenes, work was being done to build a cohesive team of teachers. We went on Outward Bound experiences-many of which unfortunately took place in the pouring rain! The principal secured funding for the staff to experience whitewater rafting, a terrifying activity for some of us but one that required collaboration. Each August, we were paid to plan integrated curriculum, and we used protocols to present our work to one another safely. Slowly, but surely, through deliberate planning we became a team and were able to focus on the students-together. That is the school I returned to after my first conference as Maine’s Teacher of the Year for 2014. I wasn’t worried about anyone being “jealous” of my opportunity. My colleagues were supportive, proud, and interested in my assessment of the conference. They continue to have my back as I ask them to adjust the schedule for our team so I can attend meetings and deliver presentations. The encouragement I feel from the educators in my school is the type of support our students feel every day from the staff and their peers. Positive attitudes are contagious. Tomorrow, the first Saturday of February vacation, staff members will head into King to support the students and teachers of the drama program as they perform The Wizard of Oz two days late, due to our never-ending winter. A change in culture can occur. There are intentional moves by administrators and teachers that can support this transformation. We all have a responsibility to contribute to the professional and caring atmospheres of our schools. As baseball manager Casey Stengel once said, “Getting good players is easy. Getting ’em to play together is the hard part.” We have certainly learned how to “play together” at King and I am so thankful. Every school, every teacher, and every student deserves this.

Today I received an email from Bangor Savings Bank urging me to nominate a Maine Teacher for the 2015 Maine Teacher of the Year program. This email went to 80,000 residents across this state. As I begin my year of service as the 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year, I want EVERYONE to consider nominating a great teacher for this honor.

Teachers across this state enter their classrooms each morning with an intense commitment to educate Maine students and guide them as they develop habits of work and learning. All of us know teachers who have exemplary practice. We can name educators who work beyond the school day by visiting students’ homes, attending their sporting events, feeding them when they are hungry, making sure they have warm clothing, and working with them before and after school to allow for additional academic time. We know teachers who step forward to head committees, develop new curriculum, support new teachers by serving as mentors, and finish their teaching day by coaching young people in extra-curricular activities. In ALL communities there are teachers who are innovators, who present to colleagues at workshops and professional development programs, and who head district initiatives. I urge you to look around and celebrate the great teaching in your community by nominating someone.The process that I went through last year was a collaboration with my students, my colleagues, my school community, and my district. Serving as the 2014 Maine Teacher of the Year does not mean I am the best teacher in the state, but it does allow me to represent all of the great teachers in our public schools. Participating in this program has brought an additional sense of pride and adventure to my school and district. Representing Maine and the teachers in this state has already provided me with amazing professional development that I am able to share, and it’s only February!We need to celebrate teachers and encourage teacher voice in many venues. Teacher recognition programs, including the Maine Teacher of the Year, allow us all to honor distinguished teachers and bring the teacher voice to the forefront. I can’t wait to meet this year’s nominees!

Author

Karen MacDonald is a teacher at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, where she teaches language arts. She loops with her sixth and seventh grade students and hopes her students and members of the Maine community will follow her journey through the blog. She will post regularly about her experiences serving as Maine's Teacher of the Year for 2014. Please follow me on Twitter. The link is below: